Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP:! DESIGNING PRODUCTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE By Michael Whitecar

[Whitecar, 2013]

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

What is Social Entrepreneurship?

I have recently learned of this new term, and the official definition resonates strongly within me. However, I think a Social Entrepreneur behaves differently in that their passion does not evolve around the wow factor or novelty or what can I invent today? attitude, but more importantly it evolves around the love for people. It doesnt matter what color of skin, religious beliefs, or even sexual orientation. Social Entrepreneurs seek the improvement of humanity and their resources to live. Like the onion being pulled back piece by piece, beneath all the layers of societal judgement or the accepted projection of oneself, lies a human being that has life needs. It is unfortunate as we live with an abundance of resources that its reach does not land in everyones hands. I would like to think that Social Entrepreneurs recognize the needs of life, and with their creativity and innovated problem solving skills, each can make a difference for one person, one day at a time. In fact, after writing these thoughts I sat back and went to the Internet for more information on this topic. I think I found the perfect answer that I was looking for: The job of a social entrepreneur is to recognize when a part of society is stuck and to provide new ways to get it unstuck. [Oregon Public Broadcasting, 2005].

Introducing Generation Citizen

I have chosen Generation Citizen (GC) co-founded and led by Scott Warren, because of what I shared above about Social Entrepreneurship and Scotts passion for helping our children using themselves to solve political

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

processes and community problems. It was this initial thought of Scott who recognized two key principles to launching his venture. First, with a desire to encourage student civic engagement, he believed an action-oriented platform whereby students get involved in political process by learning and doing. And Scott recognized the majority of secondary students across the country have yet to learn how to develop these skills or mindset within their communities. In the Fall of 2008, Scott and Anna Ninan found Generation Citizen in Providence, Rhode Island to support student civic engagement. The company became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2010, while serving over 300 students in Rhode Island. Within a year of its inception, Generation Citizen opened its second office in Boston, Massachusetts. By 2011, a new headquarter office was established in New York City, New York, now serving three school locations. In 2011-2012 school year alone, Generation Citizen has helped over 3600 students in all of its locations. The following school year saw double digit growth by reaching over 6000 students. A fourth office has opened in San Francisco, California, in 2013 as Generation Citizen spreads its good deeds to others throughout America. As the Executive Director, Scott Warren is a current recipient of a Draper Richards Kaplan Fellowship, a former recipient of an Echoing Green Fellowship, and was named one of Forbes Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs under 30. Scott graduated from Brown University with a degree in International Relations [Lane, 2012].

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

Generation Citizen Services

Generation Citizen teaches teenagers direct political action. Through an innovative in-class curriculum, students work with local leaders to fix local problems. Over the course of the twiceweekly semester-long in-class program, students choose an issue they want to tackle in their own community, develop a focused, strategic plan to address an issue they care about, and then take real action on it. Students lobby elected officials, write opinion pieces for newspapers, and make documentaries to advance solutions to important community issues. Through direct engagement in real-world advocacy, guided by near-peer college Democracy Coaches and teachers, students gain the civic knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to effect change in their communities. Each semester culminates in Civics Day, in which student representatives from classes in each city present their work to other students, community members, and public officials, celebrating their work and gaining feedback to further their efforts. Civics Day is a chance for students to celebrate their success and explore ways to continue their civic engagement after the end of the program [Generation Citizen, 2014].

The Social Problem Generation Citizen is Solving

Our democracy is broken. But our young people can fix it. If we teach them how to participate [Warren, 2010]. One of the only premises that everyone in this country can probably agree on is our political process is in serious disarray. Politicians seem more preoccupied with retaining their public positions than serving in the best interest of their constituents. This leads to a vicious cyclein this case

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

students are tuning out politics, and therefore, politicians are dis-incentivized to work for the greater good as promised. Generation Citizen was started and is positioned to solve this problem by empowering young people to become engaged and effective citizens. GC envisions a democracy in which every citizen participates in the political process by teaching teenagers direct political action. Through an innovative in-class curriculum, students work with local leaders to fix local problems. Through this real-world experience, teens are building an active democracy. GC is building a new generation of youth activists and leaders; a generation inspired and equipped to make the change needed.

The Social Impact and Success

To illustrate the social impact and success of Generation Citizen, I am presenting the story about Skylar Brady, a high school student. Skylar was born and raised in Staten Island, New York. Growing up was very difficult as he did not have the support needed to be successful. Having watched his parents struggle to support his sister and himself, he made a promise that he would do the best he could to live up to his full potential. GCs impact on Skylar showed him that no matter how big or little, he could make a difference in his community and if he tried hard enoughthe world. Generation Citizen proved that hard work and dedication will pay off. The challenges and negativity Skylar faced in life gave him the drive and determination to be a successful person. Skylar was able to not only graduate from high school on time, but did so with honors. He received academic awards in almost all of his classes. He was also one of the recipients of the Staten

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

Island P.T.A scholarship, which has helped him get into Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. Generation Citizen strives to ensure an excellent program in all of their classes for all. At the same time, they see the lack of effective action civics education in our American schools as a national problem, and one that requires a national solution. Thus, GC strives to embark on a national growth strategy that will allow them to demonstrate the efficacy of action civics in diverse places throughout the country. GC is currently working with 9,500 students per year in the 2013-14 school year in Providence, New York City, Greater Boston, and the San Francisco Bay Area. By 2015-16, GC will have worked with over 60,000 students across the country, and 20,000 students per year in six sites. The next few years represent a pivotal period for Generation Citizen; the organization is poised to become a scalable national entity, capable of transforming civics education across the United States. In another instance, across the country its a Thursday afternoon and there is a classroom full of 200 teenagers listening, debating and cheering as 14 of their peers are making political pitches. These teens are part of what a new Demos and the National Citizen Service report calls "Generation Citizen. They are a group more used to the label "Generation Apathetic" because of their disengagement from formal politics.

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

It is this paradox that the Generation Citizen draws out, the mix of activism and optimism about social change and deep cynicism about political institutions. Young people are engaging in social change in myriad waysfrom community campaigns and online activism through to spoken word poetry. They are creating new models of organization, leadership and change. As one young social entrepreneur put it: "I am the change I want to see in the world." Generation Citizen finds that 84% of 14 to 17 year-olds plan to vote. Unfortunately this support evaporates in an actual election. But instead of blaming young people we need to ask why this is happening. Ignoring young people threatens the future of our democratic institutions, it narrows the potential pool of candidates and worst of all it wastes the energy, ideas and enthusiasm of a generation ready and willing to redefine citizenship [Gould, 2014].

Social Entrepreneurship and Bird Logger.com

I do have a good idea for using Bird Logger in support of Social Entrepreneurship activities. First, instead of leaving lifes needs and wants to chance, Bird Logger is a location-based/responsive web application that is device independent designed to greatly improve the probability of achieving our lifes needs and wants. With that being said, Bird Logger can improve awareness for the need of community volunteers leading to engagement and increase in assisting those unfortunate people in need. Bird Logger can meet this social need by adding a module to its web application that provides community volunteer services. For example, lets say a shelter of some sort is in need of volunteers with a certain type of skill and time. A member of the organization enters this information, as Bird Logger (with approval) records the current location and module needs. Thats it!

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

For those like myself who would like to volunteer within the community, would also purchase the Bird Logger Community Volunteer module, and express a life need to serve others with the information technology skill I possess. When driving throughout town Bird Logger will frequently record my position searching for an organization in need of a volunteer. As soon as Bird Logger finds a match within the area I am currently located in, I requested additional information about the organization to be sent via email. This information was provided to Bird Logger via the volunteer organizations request. I also requested through Bird Logger when a match is found to send additional information about me. Within minutes an email from Bird Logger is sent to me and the organization with the additional information we both requested. By the end of the day both our needs have been met.!

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Michael Whitecar

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

March 23, 2014

References

Gould, G. (February 2014). 'Generation Apathetic': Why we ignore these young people at our peril; We need to ask why young people are so disenchanted with mainstream politics. [Electronic Edition] The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media Limited. Retrieved on March 20, 2014 from http://w3.lexisnexis.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81

Warren, S. (2014). GC Timeline and About. Retrieved from http://generationcitizen.org. Oregon Public Broadcasting and Malone-Grove Productions Inc., (2005). What is Social Entrepreneurship? Retrieved on March 20, 2014 from http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/ whatis/ Generation Citizen (2014). Retrieved from http://generationcitizen.org. Lane, R. (Dec, 2012). 30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Magazine. [Electronic Edition]. Retrieved on March 18, 2014 from http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ekeg45kfk/scott-warren-25/ Whitecar, M. (c. 2013). Richmond Botanical Gardens. [photograph]

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